The ‘Month End Syndrome’

 

People always give reasons or excuses for not being able to do something or make it somewhere. But for the past couple of years I’ve been hearing a funny reason from young Indians, well at least I found it funny. This is what they have to say- ‘its month end’, so big deal the month is ending, right? [And I don’t think it’s an excuse] 

So how big a deal is it? Well extremely big if people plan their weeding considering whether it’s the month end or not, people postpone important meetings and work as if there is no tomorrow. Ok it is big!!

 So what happens towards the last day of the month, and why are we hearing more and more of this? Well it’s to do with work / profession. So have you guessed it? It’s judgment day for MANY professionals, the day their targets are counted, and they’re evaluated.  

What does interest me is that 5 years ago this wouldn’t have been such a common / mainstream reason for not being able to do ‘other things’. This just goes to show the types of professions people are opting for, or the WAY they work.  

And no this isn’t only referring to door to door SALES guys.  

I hear it the most from these new so called ‘relationship managers / wealth managers’ that most banks have hired [ 40%-50% of a banks staff] in order to sell financial services. I hear it a lot from the automobile industry guys. [FMCG sales guys always said this, they just weren’t so mainstream] 

So does everything you do, or don’t do for 25 days boil down to the last week or day?  

Is it the way people work? Like is there a lot of under reporting, just so a person can be seen to be working in the last week of the month? Some people don’t report actual sell through numbers etc till the last week, not that it would affect the final numbers, but just to show they too did something when it mattered the most. This is how important the ‘month end has become’.